Mountable Fishing Baitwell

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is a mountable fishing baitwell. The apparatus allows a user to easily access live bait and properly sustains live bait. The apparatus includes a support structure, a water reservoir, a mounting base, and an aeration unit. The support structure upholds the water reservoir and houses the aeration unit. The water reservoir contains the water and the live bait. The mounting base secures the apparatus onto the bow rail of a boat. The support structure further includes a structure body, a reservoir bed, and a storage compartment. The water reservoir further includes a receptacle and a hand-permeable cover. The hand-permeable cover detachably attaches about an opening of the receptacle, and thereby prevents the live bait from escaping and allows the receptacle to be refilled. The aeration unit distributes oxygen into the water within the receptacle which better sustains the live bait within the receptacle.

The current application claims priority to U.S. provisional applicationSer. No. 62/229,614 filed on Feb. 5, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a mountable fishing baitwell.More specifically, the present invention mounts to the bow rail of aboat and illuminates the housed bait.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of devices are used to hold fishing bait while fishing. Forlive bait, fishermen use large containers or baitwells. Using live baitis beneficial due to their natural movement which attracts the attentionof fish more easily. Because of this, it is common to keep bait in afresh supply of aerated water. There are typically two baitwells on aboat, one at the stern and one at the front of the console. However,many fisherman do not have baitwells at the front, which makes accessingbait much more arduous as they are forced to move to the stern.

After losing bait to a striking fish, it is important to rebait quicklyand recast to the same spot. This increases the fisherman's chances ofcatching the previously interested fish. When fishing in-shore, in tidalareas, or other locations, it is common to use a trolling motor which isattached to the bow. By moving to the rear of the boat in order to getmore bait, the boat may drift off course. As the fisherman moves back tothe correct position, the fisherman needs to turn the motor on. Themotor causes a lot of noise and may scare away fish.

It is therefore an objective of the present invention to introduce amountable fishing well. The present invention is a remote bait aerationdevice that may be vertically attached to the bow rail, allowing easyaccess to live bait. The fisherman may fish from the bow or bow seat ofa boat while using the present invention. As previously mentioned, thereis normally a trolling motor attached to the bow. The present inventionallows fisherman to remain on the bow or in their seat and rebait theirhook without having to leave the bow and, consequently, abandon thetrolling motor. The fisherman need not step down off the bow, access thebaitwell, use a bait net to pick out live bait such as a shrimp orminnow, return to the bow position, bait the hook, regain course withthe trolling motor, and finally recast. The present invention allows afisherman to simply reach into a water reservoir, rebait his or herhook, and cast without leaving the bow or lose boat position. As boatnoise is a more problem when stalking easily spooked fish, the presentinvention eliminates noises caused by fisherman having to step off thebow, banging around the live well with a bait net, opening and closinghatch covers, dropping bait nets, and having to repower the trollingmotor to regain boat position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power source and the mount is aplatform.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power source and the mount is aplatform.

FIG. 3 is a top side view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power source and the mount is aplatform.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of FIG. 3, wherein the power source is aportable power source and the mount is a platform.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a power cord and the mount is a platform.

FIG. 6 is a top side view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power cord and the mount is aplatform.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of FIG. 6, wherein the power source is aportable power cord and the mount is a platform.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power source and the mount is arigid tube.

FIG. 9 is a front side view of an embodiment of the present invention,wherein the power source is a portable power source and the mount is aplatform.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a mountable fishing baitwell that allows a userto be near the bait and allows a user to easily retrieve the bait whilefishing. The present invention is mountable to the bow rail of a boat sothat the user does not have to leave his or her position on the boat inorder to retrieve live bait. The present invention facilitates therebaiting of the user so that the user needs only seconds instead ofminutes to rebait. The present invention also houses a variety of otherfishing tools such as knives, pliers, fishing hooks, and so on that maybe needed throughout fishing. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the presentinvention comprises a support structure 1, a water reservoir 17, amounting base 24, and an aeration unit 28. The support structure 1upholds the water reservoir 17 and houses the aeration unit 28. Theslimness of the support structure 1 allows the user to easily maneuveraround the present invention while fishing in the bow position. Morespecifically, the support structure 1 does not extend past the rail ofthe bow. In order to uphold the water reservoir 17 and house theaeration unit 28, the support structure 1 comprises a structure body 2,a reservoir bed 3, and a storage compartment 4. The structure body 2 isa rigid member that stabilizes and fixes the positions of the waterreservoir 17 and aeration unit 28. More specifically, the reservoir bed3 accommodates the water reservoir 17 within the structure body 2, andthe storage compartment 4 allows the aeration unit 28 to be containedwithin the structure body 2 and be near the water reservoir 17. Thewater reservoir 17 contains and sustains the live bait, which isproperly oxygenated via the aeration unit 28. In addition, the waterreservoir 17 comprises a receptacle 18 and a hand-permeable cover 20.The receptacle 18 retains the water and contains the live bait. Thehand-permeable cover 20 prevents the live bait from escaping thereceptacle 18, while simultaneously allowing the user to retrieve at anypoint in time. The mounting base 24 fastens and stabilizes the supportstructure 1 onto the bow rail.

The overall configuration of the aforementioned components allows thepresent invention to contain and sustain live bait while being easilyaccessible to the user. In order for the user to access the live baitwithin the receptacle 18 while the present invention is mounted onto thebow rail of a boat, the mounting base 24 is connected adjacent to thestructure body 2, and the reservoir bed 3 is integrated into thestructure body 2, opposite to the mounting base 24, as shown in FIG. 2.The storage compartment 4 is integrated into the structure body 2 inbetween the reservoir bed 3 and the mounting base 24. The integration ofthe storage compartment 4 within the structure body 2 allows thestructure body 2 to uphold the aeration unit 28 and position theaeration unit 28 near the receptacle 18 which is situated within thereservoir bed 3. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention,the structure body 2 further comprises a lip 36. The lip 36 acts as abarrier so that the aeration unit 28 within the storage compartment 4does not escape throughout travel. The lip 36 traverses along an outeredge 35 of the storage compartment 4, as shown in FIG. 9, in order toprevent the aeration unit 28 and any other stored component from fallingout of the structure body 2. The hand-permeable cover 20 is detachablyattached about an opening 19 of the receptacle 18 so that the user mayrefill the water and the live bait within the receptacle 18. Theaeration unit 28 is in fluid communication with the receptacle 18 and ismounted within the storage compartment 4 so that the live bait withinthe receptacle 18 is receives the proper amount of oxygen in order tostay alive.

The live bait within the receptacle 18 is visible to the user, even indark surroundings, because the preferred embodiment of the of thepresent invention comprises a light source 34. In order for the lightsource 34 to illuminate the components held within the receptacle 18,both the receptacle 18 and the reservoir bed 3 are made of transparentmaterial, such as glass or clear durable plastic, as illustrated in FIG.2. The light source 34 is also positioned within the storage compartment4 and is oriented towards the receptacle 18, as shown in the front viewof FIG. 4. Therefore, the light source 34 provides the receptacle 18with the necessary illumination without being damaged by water withinthe receptacle 18 or water from the surrounding environment.

Also in the preferred embodiment, the support structure 1 of thepreferred embodiment further comprises first shelf 5 and a second shelf6, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7. The firstshelf 5 and the second shelf 6 both uphold and organize fishing toolsand a variety of items that may be needed by the user while fishing.

The first shelf 5 is connected adjacent to the structure body 2, and thesecond shelf 6 is connected adjacent to the structure body 2, oppositeto the first shelf 5. This configuration allows the receptacle 18 to beremoved from the reservoir bed 3 as the reservoir bed 3 is positioned inbetween the first shelf 5 and the second shelf 6. This configurationalso allows the user to easily access the items stored on the firstshelf 5 and the second shelf 6.

The support structure 1 further comprises a cup holder 7 and a grippingsleeve 8, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7. In addition, the cup holder 7houses a bottled or canned beverage or similarly shaped item. Thegripping sleeve 8 increases the friction between the bottled or cannedbeverage and the cup holder 7. The cup holder 7 is integrated into thefirst shelf 5, and the gripping sleeve 8 is concentrically positionedwithin the cup holder 7 so that the user may easily insert and removethe beverage from the first shelf 5. The bottled or canned beverage isnot able to escape the cup holder 7 unless purposefully removed by theuser. Moreover, the support structure 1 further comprises a plurality ofaccessory cavities 9 and a plurality of elastically deformable sleeves10, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7. Similar to the cup holder 7 and thegripping sleeve 8, the plurality of accessory cavities 9 is integratedinto the second shelf 6, and each of the plurality of elasticallydeformable sleeves 10 is concentrically positioned within acorresponding cavity from the plurality of accessory cavities 9. Thisallows a user to store a variety of fishing tools such as knives,pliers, and hooks within the second shelf 6 and prevents the unwantedremoval of the fishing tools unless purposefully removed by the user. Asshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, each of the plurality of accessory cavities9 have varying shapes in order to accommodate specific tools. Theaccessory cavities 9 with a rectangular shape best houses knives andpliers, and the accessory cavities 9 with a circular shape best houseshooks, jigheads, and lures.

In the preferred embodiment, water retained within the receptacle 18 isproperly aerated as the aeration unit 28 of the present inventioncomprises an air pump 29, a tubing 30, a diffuser 31, and a power source32, as illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8. Oxygen ispumped out of the air pump 29 and is then delivered to the diffuser 31via the tubing 30. The diffuser 31 releases oxygen into the water. Thepower source 32 delivers the necessary power to the air pump 29. Inorder for the oxygen to be distributed to the water, the diffuser 31 ismounted within the receptacle 18, and the air pump 29 and the diffuser31 are in fluid communication through the tubing 30. The air pump 29 issituated within the storage compartment 4 so that the oxygen does notneed to travel a long distance from the air pump 29 to the diffuser 31.contained within the structure body 2 and is near the receptacle 18, theair pump 29 is situated within the storage compartment 4. The air pump29 is electrically connected to the power source 32 so that the air pump29 may constantly generate the oxygen.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supportstructure 1 further comprises a first channel 11, which accommodates theshortest path of the tubing 30 from the air pump 29 to the diffuser 31.More specifically, the first channel 11 traverses through the structurebody 2 from the storage compartment 4 to the reservoir bed 3, and thetubing 30 is positioned within the first channel 11, as shown in FIG. 4and FIG. 7. In an embodiment of the present invention, the power source32 is a portable power source, and the power source 32 is situatedwithin the storage compartment 4. The power source 32 is clearly shownas a portable power source in FIG. 4. The portable power source may be avariety of batteries such as D-cell batteries. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the power source 32 is a power cord, asillustrated in FIG. 7. Consequently, the support structure 1 of thisembodiment comprises a second channel 12, which is illustrated in FIG.7. The power cord connects the air pump 29 to an external power source32 which may be a portable battery or an outlet of the boat. The powercord 29 connects to a portable battery or an outlet of a boat via a plugsimilar to that illustrated in FIG. 5. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, the aeration unit 28 may be powered by both the portablepower source and the power cord. If either power source 32 fails or runsout of power, the user may provide power to the remaining power source32. The second channel 12 traverses out of the structure body 2 from thestorage compartment 4, and the power cord is positioned through thesecond channel 12, accommodating the shortest path of the power cordfrom within the storage compartment 4 to the external power source 32.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hand-permeablecover 20 comprises a plurality of flexible tabs 21 and a rim 22, asshown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6. The plurality of flexible tabs 21 preventsthe live bait within the receptacle 18 form escaping from the opening 19of the receptacle 18 while allowing a user's hand to traverse throughthe hand-permeable cover 20. The rim 22 positions the plurality offlexible tabs 21 about the around the opening 19 of the receptacle 18and attaches the hand-permeable cover 20 to the receptacle 18. Theplurality of flexible tabs 21 is perimetrically distributed about therim 22 so that the plurality of flexible tabs 21 is spread over theentire opening 19. Each of the plurality of flexible tabs 21 is fixed tothe rim 22 and is oriented towards the center 23 of the rim 22, therebyfacilitating the passage of the user's hand through the hand-permeablecover 20. The rim 22 is detachably attached to the receptacle 18 aboutthe opening 19, allowing the receptacle 18 to be refilled with bothwater and live bait. In an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention, the plurality of flexible tabs 21 that are opposite eachother along the perimeter of the rim 22 are connected, thereby defininga plurality of cords that traverse across the hand-permeable cover 20.The plurality of cords provides a more secure hand-permeable cover 20for live bait that may be more difficult to contain or for a morechallenging environment that may facilitate the escape of the live bait.

In order to stabilize the present invention onto the bow rail of a boat,the mounting base 24 is a rigid tube in an embodiment of the presentinvention. The rigid tube surrounds a post of the bow rail. Morespecifically, the first end 26 of the rigid tube is positioned adjacentto the structure body 2, and a second end 27 of the rigid tube isoriented away from the water reservoir 17, as shown in FIG. 8. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the mounting base 24 is aplatform, illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 2,

FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7. The platform rests on top of a flat surfaceof the bow rail and may be secured by a variety of fasteners. Theplatform is arranged with the structure body 2 such that the structurebody 2 is tangentially positioned with the platform. This arrangementorients the structure body 2 in an upright position with respect to theflat surface of the bow rail. In the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the platform comprises a insertable protrusion thatvertically traverses into the structure body 2. The insertableprotrusion frictionally engages with a slot of the structure body 2 sothat the structure body 2 is fastened onto the post of the platform.This engagement prevents the present invention from dismounting whiletraveling.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supportstructure 1 further comprises at least one spare battery compartment 13,as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5, and FIG. 8. The at least one spare batterycompartment 13 allows a user to store a battery within the structurebody 2 in the event the power source 32 fails to power the air pump 29.The battery compartment 13 comprises a battery-receiving cavity 14 and aswivel door 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The battery-receiving cavity 14positions the battery within the structure body 2, and the swivel door16 prevents the unwanted escape and damage of the battery within thebattery-receiving cavity 14. In order to prevent the unwanted movementof the battery within the structure body 2, the battery-receiving cavity14 traverses into the structure body 2. The swivel door 16 is pivotallyconnected to the structure body 2, adjacent to an opening 15 of thebattery-receiving cavity so that the user can readily open or close theswivel door 16 in order to access the battery-receiving cavity 14.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mountable fishing baitwell comprises: a supportstructure; a water reservoir; a mounting base; an aeration unit; thesupport structure comprises a structure body, a reservoir bed, and astorage compartment; the water reservoir comprises a receptacle and ahand-permeable cover; the mounting base being connected adjacent to thestructure body; the reservoir bed being integrated into the structurebody, opposite to the mounting base; the storage compartment beingintegrated into the structure body in between the reservoir bed and themounting base; the receptacle being situated within the reservoir bed;the hand-permeable cover being detachably attached about an opening ofthe receptacle; the aeration unit being mounted within the storagecompartment; and the aeration unit being in fluid communication with thereceptacle.
 2. The mountable fishing baitwell as claimed as claim 1comprises: a light source; the receptacle and the reservoir bed beingmade of a transparent material; the light source being positioned withinthe storage compartment; and the light source being oriented towards thereceptacle.
 3. The mountable fishing baitwell as claimed as claim 1comprises: the support structure further comprises a first shelf and asecond shelf; the first shelf being connected adjacent to the structurebody; the second shelf being connected adjacent to the structure body,opposite to the first shelf; and the reservoir bed being positioned inbetween the first shelf and the second shelf.
 4. The mountable fishingbaitwell as claimed as claim 3 comprises: the support structure furthercomprises a cup holder and a gripping sleeve; the cup holder beingintegrated into the first shelf; and the gripping sleeve beingconcentrically positioned within the cup holder.
 5. The mountablefishing baitwell as claimed as claim 3 comprises: the support structurefurther comprises a plurality of accessory cavities and a plurality ofelastically deformable sleeves; the plurality of accessory cavitiesbeing integrated into the second shelf; and each of the plurality ofelastically deformable sleeves being concentrically positioned within acorresponding cavity from the plurality of accessory cavities.
 6. Themountable fishing baitwell as claimed as claim 1 comprises: the aerationunit comprises an air pump, a tubing, a diffuser, and a power source;the diffuser being mounted within the receptacle; the air pump beingsituated within the storage compartment; the air pump and the diffuserbeing fluid communication through the tubing; and the air pump beingelectrically connected to the power source.
 7. The mountable fishingbaitwell as claimed as claim 1 comprises: the support structure furthercomprises a first channel; the first channel traversing through thestructure body from the storage compartment to the reservoir bed; andthe tubing being positioned within the first channel.
 8. The mountablefishing baitwell as claimed as claim 7 comprises: the power source beinga portable power source; and the portable power source being situatedwithin the storage compartment.
 9. The mountable fishing baitwell asclaimed as claim 7 comprises: the support structure further comprises asecond channel; the power source being a power cord; the second channeltraversing out of the structure body from the storage compartment; andthe power cord being positioned through the second channel.
 10. Themountable fishing baitwell as claimed as claim 1 comprises: thehand-permeable cover comprises a plurality of flexible tabs and a rim;the plurality of flexible tabs being perimetrically distributed aboutthe rim; each of the plurality of flexible tabs being fixed to the rim;each of the plurality of flexible tabs being oriented towards a centerof the rim; and the rim being detachably attached to the receptacleabout the opening.
 11. The mountable fishing baitwell as claimed asclaim 1 comprises: the mounting base being a rigid tube; a first end ofthe rigid tube being positioned adjacent to the structure body; and asecond end of the rigid tube being oriented away from the waterreservoir.
 12. The mountable fishing baitwell as claimed as claim 1comprises: the mount being a platform; and the structure body beingtangentially positioned with the platform.
 13. The mountable fishingbaitwell as claimed as claim 1 comprises: the support structure furthercomprises at least one spare battery compartment; the batterycompartment comprises a battery-receiving cavity and a swivel door; thebattery-receiving cavity traversing into the structure body; and theswivel door being pivotally connected to the structure body, adjacent toan opening of the battery-receiving cavity.
 14. The mountable fishingbaitwell as claimed as claim 1 comprises: the structure body furthercomprises a lip; the lip traverses along an outer edge of the storagecompartment;